NSBE - Conference 2012 - (Page 10)

MEMBErsHIP NEWS A Fresh Approach B y N j e m i l e A . C r a w l e y, N S B E D i r e c t o r o f M e m b e r s h i p a n d R e g i s t r a t i o n , a n d T e i k o P. A k u f o , N S B E M e m b e r s h i p C o o r d i n a t o r H aving NSBE’s first membership decline in more than five years was a sobering reality for NSBE and a strong statement about how we engage members. We’d stopped focusing, as a Society, on membership growth and building a community of believers in NSBE’s mission. We began to focus more, and rightly so, on NSBE’s key programs, including the Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) and NSBE Retention Program. Although essential to our success, NSBE’s programs cannot stand without a continued focus on membership growth and engagement. Consider this our wake-up call. The theme of NSBE’s 38th Annual Convention is Leadership, Teamwork & Inspiration. When it comes to growing NSBE’s membership, these are all important elements. We call it our fresh approach to membership. NSBE’s Membership Team is excited to share what we’re doing to accomplish our Mission: 50,000+ Members in 3 Years! Leadership – NSBE’s leadership has made membership growth and engagement a renewed focus this year. Each member of the National Executive Board has visited at least one chapter that is not their own. Many have already surpassed this minimum goal! This opportunity for NSBE’s highest-ranking officers to visit struggling and successful chapters provides an opportunity to return to grassroots leadership. In addition, NSBE’s World Headquarters staff is traveling across the country to visit chapters, sharing NSBE’s story, historical and current relevance, and opportunities to get involved. These visits provide not only an opportunity for 10 • nsbe magazine • convention 2012 recruitment but also a chance for NSBE to get feedback and keep in touch with what our members want. Teamwork – “Together we stand…” goes the old saying. NSBE’s very inception was the result of individuals coming together (Purdue’s “Chicago Six” and individual schools across the country) to achieve more together than they could separately. Today, we bring it back to the members. NSBE’s Mission: 50,000+ Members in 3 Years, kicked off across the globe on NSBE Recruitment Day (1.24.2012). The one-day event created an opportunity for NSBE to build the community of members: individuals who believe in NSBE’s mission and values. We simultaneously campaigned, advertised, marketed and recruited for NSBE. This event — now annual — is a chance for NSBE to get back to its roots, where each individual not only matters but can help make a difference. If you missed NSBE Recruitment Day this year, be sure to catch NSBE Recruitment Week — January 21, 2013 to January 26, 2013 — because our mission IS the Mission! Inspiration – NSBE is inspired by the future. We want you to be inspired, too. In its five short years, SEEK has exposed more than 2,000 children to real engineering, and NSBE plans to continue to build this pipeline for future engineers. President Bill Clinton even recognized NSBE for its efforts to do just that. How will you help? As we travel across the country to share what NSBE is doing to fulfill its mission — “to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community” — we’re asking others to join us in this movement by becoming members: everyone, from employees of our Board of Corporate Affiliates organizations who used to be members in college, to parents in SEEK academy cities across the country who want to expose their children to STEM. Members — new and old, past and future — we’re not taking you for granted anymore. From comprehensive e-mail membership renewal campaigns to new, relevant member benefits, we’ve got a new way. And we’re not going back. ■ www.nsbe.org http://www.nsbe.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - Conference 2012

NSBE - Conference 2012
Table of Contents
Passing the Torch
The Programs Zone
Membership News
NSBE Mourns the Loss of Mario Church, Former National Chair
NSBE Makes STEM Education Pledge to the Clinton Global Initiative
SEEK 2012 Update
Kevin Austin of TEMA
Courtney Skinner of GE
William S. Redmond III of NAVAIR
Dr. Bryan Reid of MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Janelle Johnson of PGW
Tyrone Strozier of General Dynamics C4 Systems
Rashad Nelson of ITW
International News
NSBE Calendar
Things to Do in Pittsburgh
Cummins Scores Big at NSBE Conferences
Golden Torch Award Winners
The Professional’s Perspective
The Engineering Work Force, 2012 Supply, Demand and Diversity
On the Edge
AE Members on the Move
Employer Profiles
Advertisers Index

NSBE - Conference 2012